Tooth-regulator



(No lModeL) i 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

B. H. ANGLE.

TOOTH REGULATOR.

` No. 523,192. Patented July 17, 1894.

(No Model.) 'v 2 sheets-sheet 2. E. H. ANGLE.

TOOTH REGULATOR. No. 523,192. Patented July 1'7, 1894.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD I-I. ANGLE, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

TOOTH-REGULATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No..A 523,192, dated vll'uly 17,1894.

Application filed May 7, 1894. Serial No. 510.348. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern,.-

' Re 1t known that I, EDWARD H. ANGLE, a citlzenofthe United States, residing at Minneapolls, 1n the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Head-Baskets for use wlth Tooth-Regulating Devices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and .exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which 1t appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to teeth regulating dev1ces; and has for its object to provide a basket or head-net, for'holding what is known to the dental profession as the angle traction bar, employed as a part of my regulating dev1ces for treating cases known as excessive protrusion of theincisors and cuspids. My devices for this purpose, are described in my former patent, No. 415,829, of date November 26, 1889, entitled tooth-regulator.

As shown in the said patent, a common skull-cap was employed for the attachment of theelastic-bands, to hold the traction-bar in positlon and give the requisite pressure thereto from the head as a base of resistance. In my experience, I found that the skull-cap was not entirely satisfactory, for the reason that the elastic bands would be drawn tight against the face with considerable resulting discomfort to the wearer; and it was also necessary to have a supply of skull-caps, in order to t the different sizes of heads.

My present invention has for its object to overcome all these objections, by providing what might be called ahead-basket or net, comprising a ring or rim .of considerable larger size than the head, and a netting which is connected to the rim by an adjustable lacing, whereby the whole strain may be applied from the netting to the back of the head, with the rim standing entirely free from the head and holding the elastic bands out of contact, or at least without any chang action on any portion of the face. The rim is preferably made, so as to be adjustable to vary thelength of the same and consequently the dimensions of the ellipse formed thereby; which rim adjustment may be employed, together with the 5o lacing adjustment, for adapting the basket to connects the netting to the rim will be suffi-v cient.

From the foregoing statement,it is obvious that a single basket or head-net may be interchangeably used on any number of heads, regardless of size.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein, like letters referring to like parts- Figure 1 is a perspective view, showing my device in working position on a person. Fig. 2 is a plan view, showing a human jaw and my regulating devices, with which my improvement is to be used. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the basket detached. Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are sectional views, with some parts broken away, showing different constructions, with which the rim of the basket may be lengthened or shortened.

Referring especially to Eig. 2, a represents a pair of central incisors in the jaw h, which need to be forced backward, to avoid excessive protrusion. c represents clamping bands secured to the molars ot', for purposes of guiding anchorage, and are provided with short tube sections c', outside the dental arch. c2 represents bands placed over and cemented to the incisors a and made fast to a short tube section c3, outside the dental arch, at the crown of the same. d represents a wire rod, extending through the tube-sections c and c3. The tube-section o3 is provided with a knob c4 of ball-like form, to which is lit-ted a socket f on a stem f', fixed to the central part of the traction bar f2. The traction-bar]c2 has hooklike ends f3, to which elastic bands or ligatures g are to be applied and used, in connection vwith a support for the same attached to the head. These parts, so far described by reference letters, are identical or may be identical with the corresponding parts, shown in my above referred to patent.

Referring to my basket, for use in connection with the said parts, h represents the rim composed of a wire rod or other suitable spring material, curved into substantially elliptical form, with the ends of the same preferably connected by atubularjoint section h. This IOC joint section h' may be screw-threaded, with the threads of the same running right and left from its center outward, and engaged with corresponding right and left screw-threads on the ends of the main rod h, as shown in Fig. 4, or may be tlireadless, as shown in the other views. If threaded, as shown in Fig. 4, the section 71.' may be made to act either with a drawing or spreading action on the opposite ends of the main rod 7i, thereby either contracting or enlarging the dimensions of the rim, according to the direction in which the section a. maybe turned, with an action similar to that of a turn-biickle, and be locked to the section h by jam-nuts h2. If threadless, as the joint section h is shown in Figs. 5and 6, one end of the rim h may be soldered tothe tubular section h', as shown at ha, and the other end maybe sciew-threaded and limited in its inward movement by one of the nuts h2, as shown in Fig. 5; or both ends of the ring may be threadless and be soldered to the tube section h in the desired position. In both of these cases, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, reliance will be placed on the spring in the ring h, under the tension from the lacing strings and netting, to cause the ends of the ring 7i to approach each other, as far as permitted within the tube section h'. With the form shown in Fig. 6,the solder h3 is, of course, easily fusible; and hence, the rod may be readily adjusted, when necessary, and be resoldered to the tube 71,', in its adjusted position.

The centrally disposed netting n, is provided with amarginal banda' of anysuitable IieXible material having eyes n2, through which are passed the adjustable lacing strings p, by which the netting is adjustably connected to the wire rim h h. With this construction, tlie netting may be more or less slack, and thereby be adjusted, in respect to the rini, as may be required to adapt the basket for use on different sizes of heads, while, at the same time, bringing the rim into the proper position for the best support of the regulating devices. When the basket is in working position, as shown in Fig. 1, the ligatures or elastic bands g, are secured to the rim in the proper positions to give the desired line of strain and are attached at their forward ends, to the hooks f3 of the traction bar f 2. For keeping the ligatures g from slipping on the rim, the said rim h may have brazed or otherwise secured thereto, corrugated strips g; and the ligaturesg may either be secured in the eyes, formed bythe loops or raised corrugations of the strips g in relation to the rim h, or be secured in the depressed part of the strip. These strips g', or other equivalent devices, for preventing the slippage of the ligatures g on the rim h, are chieiiy needed at the upper and forward part of the rim, on account of the line in which the strain from the ligatures will fall, when applied to that part of the rim; but it will be understood, of course, that such devices might be attached to any part of the rim, to prevent the slippage of the ligatures thereon. The importance of this feature will, of course, be readily understood, from the 'fact that the ligatures gmust be sustained in proper position, in order. to bring the strain therefrom on the traction bar, in the required lines, for the proper action of the bar to regulate the teeth.

With this basket, constructed and applied as described, it must be obvious that the rim h and the ligatures g will stand away from the head and prevent any chating action from the said ligatures on the face of the wearer. The rim h is preferably composed of spring Wire; but it will be understood, of course, that it may be composed of any other suitable non-collapsible material. Likewise, the body of the basket has been shown as preferably composed of netting; but it will be u nderstood that it might be of any other suitable flexible material.

Although the head-basket, herein shown and described, was especially design ed for use in connection with tooth regulating devices, it will be understood that the saine might be used for other purposes, such as supporting bandages, or other appliances about the face or head.

The great advantage of this form of basket, for co-operation with tooth regulating devices, is that any amount of pressure is rendered available from the back of the head, as a base of resistance, and is spread over a large area of surface on the head. Int is wellknown, that, for the purpose had in. View, considerable pressure must be applied in many cases to the traction bar f2 through the elastic ligatures g, which are selected with reference to the required strain or tension. With handkerchief-like bandages or skullcaps, as were formerly used, the pressure all fell on the head, in the direct line of strain, and was confined to a small surface. The result was, that in many cases, the patient could only wear the bandage or sk ullcap for a very short interval, at a time, without producing violent headaches on account of the localized pressure and the interference with the capillary circulation. With this basket, the rim stands entirely away from the head, and the netting distributes the strain over so large a surface on the head, that there is no interference-at least no material interference-with the circulation, and the basket may be continuously worn by the patient without any serious discomfort.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

l. A head basket, for cooperation with tooth regulating devices, comprising a rim of wire or other suitable non collapsible material and a body of netting or other flexible material secured thereto, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. A head-basket, for cooperation with tooth regulating devices, comprising a non-collapsible rim, a body of :flexible material, and lac- IOO IIO

ing strings adj ustably connecting said parts In testimony whereof I affix my signature in togetier, substantially as described. presence of two Witnesses.

' 3. n a head-basket, for cooperation with tooth regulating devices, the combination EDWARD H ANGLE' 5 with the divided rim h, of the tubular joint Y Witnesses: f

section h', for adj ustably securing the ends EMMA F. ELMORE, y of said rod, substantially as described. JAS. F. WILLIAMSON. 

